


Vaako Redo

by RavennaWritesFanfiction



Category: The Chronicles of Riddick Series
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-05 04:51:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20483171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavennaWritesFanfiction/pseuds/RavennaWritesFanfiction
Summary: When Dame Vaako poses a threat to Riddick, Vaako and Riddick set out to the nearest planet to have her executed. The planet, Tearion, holds a secret to Vaako's past that he doesn't remember, but will quickly turn his new life upside down. Of course, it was Riddick's plan all along.





	1. Anger, Rage, and Fury

“The Necromonger Fleet is inbound Ma’am.” They had lied.

“Man all stations, but hold fire until I give the signal.” Years of hoping they would come back washed away in an instant. The only feelings you still held close was the overwhelming need for revenge. You had long since stopped believing that Siberius was still alive. He was dead; even if he wasn’t actually dead.

You were angry. After everything they had taken from your world the first time they had come, they made one little promise, not to return, and here they were. If the army was anything like it had been, you would have already launched an attack. But since the attack, no one wanted to be in the military. Too many had needlessly died.

“Lord Marshal Riddick and his Commander General are seeking counsel with the King.” Your loyal Lieutenant relayed the information to you; he knew what you were feeling. He had been friends with Siberius before it all happened. Although he wasn’t as close to Siberius as you had been, he had felt his loss profoundly.

“Lord Marshal Riddick?” You remembered the names like it was yesterday. Lord Marshal Zhylaw and the Purifier. “Looks like someone finally did Zhylaw in. Increase the national warning to High Alert. If he killed Zhylaw, he is far more dangerous.”

“Yes, Commander Valora. What is your response to their request?” You sat there for a second and contemplated your options. They were asking not ordering.

“Conditionally, Lieutenant. You and I are to be present at the meeting. Failure to comply is a rejection of their request.” You thought that would be fair. You wanted to see the look on their faces when you walked in. You wanted them to see you as you would be their end.

“They have agreed, Commander.” He sounded surprised.

“Then we are due in Court, Lieutenant.” You were detached from all feeling but one, rage.

You entered into an already packed room and made your way to the front to take your place beside the King and his Guard. You passed members of the Necro Fleet and the Lord Marshal. His Commander General was in full armor including a helmet the obstructed your view of him. Lord Marshal Riddick didn’t dress like a Necro. He was not converted. You were intrigued about how a non-Necromonger had found his way to the highest position in the Necro society.

“Now that Commander General Valora has graced us with her presence, we may begin.” The King never did cease his public disdain of you. Nothing like showing the enemy that you were not united. You did your best to ignore him. You missed the Queen at times like this.

“Actually, before we begin, would the Necromonger Commander General be so kind as to remove his helmet while in court?” You did your best to not sound hateful, but the look on your Lieutenant’s face told you you had failed.

“It’s Lord Vaako to you, Commander General Valora.” He sneered as he lifted the helmet away. You didn’t see it at first, the name Vaako was still echoing in your ears. The King moved to the edge of his seat and stared in horror as the face of his son was revealed.

“My son? Is that you?” The hope and horror of the moment blurred into one indistinguishable sense. You felt sick to your stomach and your knees felt wobbly and foreign. Your Lieutenant also looked ill.

“I have never met you in my life. Now can we continue on with our business so that we might leave this horrid land?” Disgust. That was all that was in the air.

It was you who broke the silence. The King was reeling. He may have held his son in contempt at the time of the attack, but the unforeseen reappearance had derailed what sense he had left.

“State your business, _Lord Vaako_.” If he was going to play nasty, you had no reason to be friendly. You never would have imagined that your Siberius would be capable of such behaviors, but this wasn’t your Siberius. Clearly.

“Dame Vaako has become a threat to me and the rest of the armada,” it was Riddick that spoke this time, “She has been sentenced to death, however, old Necro laws forbid us from killing her aboard the ships giving her standing in our society. You were the nearest planet and we would like this issue remedied as soon as possible.” He was straightforward and polite about their outlandish request. You were still hung up on Dame Vaako. He had gotten married. You were madder then you could have imagined. He had betrayed your trust in him and he hadn’t returned for you. He wanted you to do his dirty work. You turned to the King to see how he was reacting.

“My King? You can’t possibly be considering this?” His face said that he would do anything they asked.

“He is my son, and I would do anything for him. I remember a time, Valora when you would have killed her on the spot if he had asked you.” How dare he turn this around on you, so publically, and in front of the enemy.

“Again, you call me your son! And why would _she _do anything for me?” He was seething. You were livid. The tension was due to start strangling people when Riddick spoke. He was laughing at the chaos that he helped to cause.

“This is your homeworld, _Prince Siberius Vaako. _Your father, the King. Your mother, the Queen.” Siberius looked utterly ill.

“Who was she to me then?” jabbing a finger in your direction.

“It doesn’t matter what I was to you! None of it matters. If you don’t like it, you can take your business to another planet. My men and I have no time for your nonsense drama.” You were causing a scene and you knew it, but you didn’t care. The angry tears started. You had shown weakness.

“I don’t remember a time when someone had the audacity to speak to me that way. It’s a pleasant change, but don’t think I will continue to allow it.” He was baring his teeth in a very predatory manner that made your skin crawl. He also had seemingly moved from his spot and had approached you. You didn’t budge.

“She was your Fiancee.” The King, taking joy in your pain proclaimed, as an old man might when explaining something to a child.

You didn’t bother waiting around for a response or to hear the next line of hatred that spewed from Lord Vaako’s lips. You left your place and practically ran back out the way you came in. That meant passing right by Siberius and Riddick. You could feel the heat on your cheeks and the stream of tears you had sworn to hold in flooded over.

Siberius grabbed your arm during your escape, but you ripped free. You hadn’t seen that his features had softened. You felt the eyes of everyone boring into you. You wished you could shrink up and disappear.

“This is why you don’t allow common folk into the court. They lack all manners.” You didn’t hear anything that was said after that and you didn’t want to.

“Why do you hate her so much? You would tear her down in front of your enemies, and she would have taken it too if it meant a strong front.” Siberius was disgusted. “If I am your son and she was to be my wife, how dare you treat her as anything less than a princess.” Vaako turned and stormed out. Riddick stood there and chuckled. Everything was going according to plan.


	2. Memories of Old

You had a head start on him; there was no denying that you could be anywhere in the palace by then, but his feet carried him through corridors he had no known memory of as if it had been just yesterday that he had roamed them by your side. He paused outside what looked like a banquet hall, but the tables had been pushed aside. He could hear music playing and felt a weight in his arms and a feather’s touch on his shoulder. He saw the ghosts of two figures twirling and gliding through the room.

He continued on and found himself outside of a bedchamber. Echos of two bickering over water and wrestling came from behind the closed door. He scarcely recognized the voice as his own. Slightly further down the hall, another set of closed doors offered the sounds of harsh whispers. Again the voice was his own, but this time he heard the other voice, it was yours.

A heaviness settled over him as memories trickled in and formed a puzzle of his life. Some pieces clicked together while others were jumbled and made no sense to him. He was overcome by an emotion that the Necromongers beat out of you from early on; love. Pure, untainted love. Images of dance lessons that turned into stolen moments away from prying eyes and petty arguments became a movie in his mind.

His feet carried him further. He didn’t want to see anymore. The only thing he felt, more prominently than love, was loss. This part of the palace was uninhabited, but he knew it like he lived here. It was the armory. Rows and rows of weapons in precisely the right spot. Each meticulously maintained. In the far corner, a work table with plans of the cities; made for the sole purpose, that in the event of an emergency, the soldiers could defend the civilians. Old plans were piled on the floor and fresh plans covered the countertop.

As he compared the maps, memories of the Necro attack returned in force. The differences in these maps were areas that had been destroyed and not rebuilt. His head was pounding and he was acutely aware of sniffling coming from the opposite corner. He knew he had found you without turning to look.

“Did you love me?” He barely heard himself, but you heard it loud and clear. He didn’t turn to you for your answer, because he was all too aware of his own tears.

“More than anything in all of the worlds.” You punctuated the sentence with an obnoxious sniff.

“Did I love you?” He knew the answer. He felt it outside each room he had seen.

“Why does it matter? You are the Necromonger Commander General and a Lord. I am a peasant born Commander General of a ‘horrid land’. I am the would-be princess that the King loathes entirely. He was relieved when you went away for the sole fact that I wouldn’t muddy up the bloodline. You said you loved me, but I don’t know why. I cannot answer your questions.”

You stood up and wiped your face. Your moment of self-pity was over. You went to the weapons rack for an impromptu inspection.

“You do that when your upset. You always have. You have to keep your hands busy.” He was watching you now. Answering him seemed pointless and seeing that everything was pristine, you walked over to your desk. It was neat and organized. Everything was cataloged and easy to read. The desk next to it had papers thrown about and a knife that had long since rusted stuck into the surface. “Well, that looks horribly out of place.” He raised an eyebrow.

“You left it like that. You never did bother keeping a neat desk.” Why bother looking his way. “Why the trip down memory lane? Do you enjoy causing pain? Years. I spent years wishing you would come back, and here you are and you aren’t you! You don’t know me, so stop asking questions and opening old wounds.” You were on your feet looking at him. He didn’t look like himself. That made it easier to remind yourself that he was the enemy.

“Fine. Answer me one last question and I’ll leave you alone.” He threw his hands up in surrender. “If I loved you so much, why would I leave you here? I image the King had always hated you, so why would I leave you alone?” He was practically touching you; he had gotten so close. You hadn’t even seen him move.

“It was our only chance. They made a deal and you took it to save the world. I wasn’t a part of that deal. And it wasn’t so bad when the Queen was around. She loved me and she loved us.” You pushed past him.

“You’re right. I don’t know you. But you don’t know me either. Here are a few things about me. I have been trapped in a loveless marriage for years. Hate sex only goes so far. My second in command has tried to kill me twice. The only thing I remembered from before my conversion was fear. When you left the Court today, I was angry at the King for what he said to you. Walking over here, I remembered teaching you to dance and bickering over who drank the glass of water. For the first time in my Necromonger life, I felt the sensation of love. I don’t know you, but I would love to get to know you again because I lost you once and I never want to feel that again.” You didn’t make eye contact.

“I remember that day as if it was yesterday. I see it every time I close my eyes. I woke up, in pain and you were gone. I don’t ever want to feel _that_ way again. I don’t know you anymore, but you are one of them now, and I don’t want to know you.” You walked out of the armory and off towards the stables. Siberius felt like he had been stabbed by your words. His gut twisted and he felt lost all over again.

You were balling your eyes out before you made it into the barn. The horses looked up at you as you entered. Siberius’ horse looked at you with a knowing expression.


	3. Escapist Mentality and Lessons In Defense

You must have fallen asleep in the hayloft because you woke to the sounds of horses carrying on. You crept to the edge so you could see without being seen; you saw Siberius inspecting the horses. When he got to his old horse, he stopped. His face was unreadable, but his horse had never looked so happy.

You saw the shovel as it fell, crashing to the ground below. The horses and Siberius looked up. Not seeing the source of the sound, he stopped looking, writing it off as someone not doing their job. You felt it a mere fraction of a second before it happened and there was no stopping it. You sneezed. It wasn’t monstrously loud, but there was no missing it. He zeroed in on you and there was no retreating or hiding. How pathetic, you had slept in the barn, you most likely looked like a disaster, and you had been caught.

You heard him on the stairs. After the showdown of the Armory yesterday, you didn’t really want to go for round two. You were exhausted, stiff, and emotionally fried. Rather than face him, you looked for an escape, some magical way out of the conversation that was doomed to happen. There was a rope hanging from the rafter that some of the stable hands used to get hay bales to the loft. If it could hold a bale, it could hold you for the second it would take you to reach the ground. You heard him hit the last step and you made a grab for the rope. Before he could make it around the railing, you were on the main floor and sprinting out the door.

You snuck back to your room to grab a bath and get dressed for the day. Looking into the mirror, you looked every bit the peasant your blood said you were. You had straw sticking out of your hair, dust had collected on wet tears and left muddy rivers down your cheeks. Your face was puffy and you looked thirty years older than you were. Now, normally a bath would have you feeling right as rain, but today, you felt like you were just going through the motions. 

You had drills to run with the remaining members of the army. Afterward, there was a court meeting to decide on the matter of Dame Vaako. Your presence was not needed so you debated on just letting the Lieutenant take over. You didn’t want to have to sit in the same room as the King and Siberius. You knew it would result in more fighting and you weren’t all that interested in the matter.

Slipping into workout gear, you looked into the mirror again. You looked normal, but you felt like you were looking at a stranger. You looked older than you had when he had gone. You were older. It had been fifteen years since he had left. You were thirty-five now. You started to see how much of your identity had been tied to Siberius. Even now.

You cautiously made it back to the barn and gave a cursory look around to ensure you were alone. Your horse, who was usually well behaved, had decided that today didn’t work for him and he refused to stand still long enough to get him tacked up. You felt like you were being watched.

“I could hold him still if you would like?” The hayloft. You looked up to see Siberius standing where you had left him. You wrestled with your pride. Should you tell him you had it taken care of and fail to get the horse ready or do you allow him to help?

“You know what, that would be great.” Siberius jumped, not bothering with the rope you had used in your escape. He had done that on purpose. He was letting you know that he let you leave. He could have caught you earlier if he had wanted to.

He held the horse still and scratched his ears while you got the saddle on. He grabbed the bridle from you and slipped it on to the horse with no fuss.

“Believe it or not, I do remember how some of this works.” He looked happy. “You left this morning before I could apologize for yesterday.” He didn’t look at you, but you knew he could see you just fine.

“You wanted to apologize?” You were more than a little shocked.

“Yeah, I ambushed you yesterday with questions. It was all so fresh. I don’t enjoy causing you pain and I didn’t stop and think about how that had to feel to you. For that I am sorry. I don’t want to live in a world where you hate me. But I don’t want to force you to do anything either.”

“I…I have to go work with the Calvary. Can we do this later?” You didn’t want to have this conversation right now, because you knew in the end, you would just end up crying.

“Do you need help with the Calvary?” He seemed so hopeful and so unsure of himself. The opposite of anything you had ever seen before.

“The maneuvers are new. I developed them after you… left.” Your voice was flat and you didn’t look at him.

“That could be our new dance then. I’ll let you lead.” He was closer to you than you realized.

“Your horse is too old to be ridden, but he was bred a few years back. His heir is a good battle steed. He’s fully trained. I alternate using him and my horses so that they are all used to everything.” Siberius looked over at his horse. The horse looked back at him.

“I was a little surprised to see that he is still around. I guess just show me which horse to use and I’ll go with that.” He looked about at all of the horses.

“Any horses branded ‘SV’ are from your old pal. Any that say ‘NV’ are from mine. He sadly died last month.” Siberius looked over at you and for the first time, you really looked at him.

“I’m sorry about Bhaltair, Natalia. I know you loved that horse.” He spoke without thinking about.

“You remembered his name!” You saw the old Siberius in him for the first time.

“Yeah! And my boy’s name is Ragnar!” He was very proud of himself. He walked over and looked at each of the horses. “What his name?” He admired the all-black beast before him.

“That’s Kronos. He’s a good choice for you since I am guessing it’s been a while since you’ve been on a horse.” You went and gathered his things. Each horse had custom tack.

“When was the last time I was here?” He said with a laugh. He acquainted himself with Kronos while you were looking for everything he would need.

You wouldn’t be the first to admit it, but you felt powerful riding out with Siberius by your side again. You weren’t wearing armor, there wasn’t any call for it. When you met the others, your Lieutenant had gathered them in formation. He stood in front of them, ready for inspection.

“Good afternoon! I trust you are all well-rested and ready to begin. Today will be a shorter day, so the faster you react, the faster we can be done.” You purposefully did not mention the black horse in the room. Nobody asked and you didn’t tell.

The first maneuver was how to cover the people around you. You, Siberius, and your Lieutenant rode side by side. Several people were told to target someone and attack them. All attacks failed. They practiced amongst themselves for a while and then it was time for the test. Most of the horses were new and hadn’t been acclimated to loud noises. You had rigged firecrackers to detonate without warning. The men knew if they fell off they were in trouble. So while they tried to control their horses, you stood there and watched. Siberius trotted over and came to a stop beside you.

“You know, I remember a lot of this now. This feels…right.” He didn’t look at you, he just sat there watching the mayhem as if that was the most casual comment one could make in the situation you were in.

“I have missed this, missed you too.” You almost let yourself regret saying those words. Almost. “What are you going to do once Dame Vaako is executed?” Although it was a reasonable question, you were afraid to hear his answer. Of course, that would mean he would have to leave again. You sat there thinking. Were you capable of losing him again?

He sat there for a minute, not answering, lost in thought. The thought of what was next had never occurred to him, but it was all you had been able to think about. When he had arrived on Tearion, he had one goal, kill Dame Vaako. Then his world was flipped upside down and he found you again. You challenged him. You didn’t take his crap. You were his equal. For the first time, he was torn between who he was and who he is.

“I don’t know. What would you have me do?” His decision rested solely on your response. The night before, you told him you didn’t want to get to know him or have him around, now things had shifted. He felt like his old self again. If you desired it, he would leave you behind in an instant; he would live with the hole you would leave in silence because it had been your wish. But if you would have him stay by your side, he would live an outcast just to see your smile. He never would ask you to join the Necromongers though.

“I don’t know either. Part of me wants to keep you here with me forever, but there is another part that says that isn’t possible. I meant it when I said I can’t go through that again.” You had no claims over him anymore, so asking him to stay where he would no longer be welcomed was a selfish act.

“What if I find a way to split my time between here and there?” As much as you both wanted that to be possible, you know it wasn’t. You had to think about what was best for him.


	4. Betrayals: Real and Otherwise

“What do you mean you can’t execute her? We were not married by your law, yet now you tell me she is protected by it?” Never had he hated his father more than he did right then.

“I’m sorry, but my hands are tied.” He wiped his hands to signal that that was the end of the discussion.

“My King, we both know that is bullshit. You had your first wife, the Queen, killed after she failed to produce an heir. Certainly there had been laws protecting her?” You knew more than you should have, but the late Queen, Siberius’ mother, had told you many of the palace’s dirty secrets.

“You speak out of turn and out of place. This is your only warning.” Siberius came to your side. It wasn’t that you wanted to kill the woman, but the excuses being made were ridiculous.

“I second what Natalia has said. I am well within my rights to say so too!” He was spitting mad. It appeared that since the queen had died, the King was out of control.

“I don’t give a damn about your rights. You are not one of us anymore.” That hit you like a ton of bricks, you knew it stung Siberius as well.

“Dame Vaako was never one of you, yet you care what about happens to her? What happened to ‘he is my son and I would do anything for him?” He was confused, angry, and humiliated.

“Because you chose her again!” You knew that voice. After all these years, she still hadn’t managed to get over the fact you had won, Seraphina.

“I wasn’t talking to you!” Siberius didn’t give a damn about her opinion.

“It’s great to be the king.” You never did figure how a man could be so cruel to his only son. “And you will watch how you address the King’s Consort.”

“Oh, she’s your new toy! Got it. I see what’s happening here. Thank you for your time.” You grabbed Siberius’ arm and dragged him backward before he could say anything else.

You dragged him back to the stables in silence, not wanting anyone to hear what you had to say. You had no one left to trust it seemed. The King had made his move; you had been playing a chess game with him all along and he was about to win. You turned to him with tears streaming down your face. It seemed as though all you did lately was cry. You were afraid. As soon as he left, you would be in danger. Seraphina hated you and the King detested you as well.

“Please, don’t leave me here with them again,” you knew you couldn’t go with them and you knew he couldn’t stay. The plea hadn’t been for him necessarily but rather thinking out loud. “I am as good as dead the moment you leave here.”

“Come with us?” Siberius had pulled you close, shielding you from the world that was steadily crumbling around you. He knew you wouldn’t agree to it, but he would give anything to have you by his side, conquering worlds till Underverse come.

“I wish it was that easy…” you didn’t get a chance to finish your thought because you heard stomping. You jumped, already edgy and Siberius positioned himself in front of you. It was Riddick.

“Vaako. We are leaving. Get ready.” he was stomping about. He was furious that the King was trying to get even over something so far in the past.

“I can’t leave. Not without her. I lost her once, I refuse to let it happen again.” He was still standing there all defensive. He had clearly already thought about what you had said. Riddick had never seen this from Vaako, though he hadn’t had much reason to protect Dame Vaako, her death would have been a blessing to all.

“Dame Vaako has to die.” Riddick was stating the obvious, but he was looking directly at you.

“If I kill her, I am dead before you can make it back to the armada. If I am dead, no one will be around to protect my son.” Riddick paused and stared for a minute. Siberius turned to look at you. It was clear by the look on his face, he thought you had moved on with someone new. He stepped away from you in disgust.

“Siberius, please.” He waved you away. He felt the biggest betrayal in his life had been dropped on him and by the one person he thought he could trust unconditionally.

“Riddick, we have to leave.” He was turned away from you and his shoulders told you he was furious. You felt as though you had just shattered into a trillion little pieces and the dam that you had tried to keep from collapsing gave way to an endless river of tears.

“He is a Vaako,” you yelled, hot, salty tears streaming down your face. You were mad that he could ever think that you would be able to move on from him. After everything you had been through. “He is _your_ son.”

Riddick looked you over in contemplation and nodded to Vaako.

“She’s telling the truth, Vaako. What’s the boy’s name?” Siberius still refused to face you. He was torn. If you were telling the truth, he had a son with the woman he loved without question. If you were telling the truth, he had created a life and violated the Necro faith.

“Draven, but he’s hidden away and concealed under a false name. My sister has him. She named him Thorn Grey.” You approached Siberius as you spoke and placed a hand on his shoulder. “She was married, and it wouldn’t have been odd for her to have a child.” Vakko turned to you with a look you couldn’t read. “Please, say something!” you pleaded with him, but his face was as dark as it had been when they had arrived.

“I have a son.” His voice was very flat, and you weren’t sure if he was happy or disappointed by the revelation.

“Yes, and now we are both in extreme danger.” You couldn’t tell if at this point Siberius cared or not, but it had to be said. You had crossed the line for him and you had done so without thinking of your son, now you had to protect him from your mistake.

“You keep what you kill.” Riddick said it as though it should have been the most obvious thing. “You kill Dame Vakko, you become Dame Vaako.”

“Is that what you want, Siberius?” You weren’t hopeful after his reaction to having a child in a faith that hates the living. Since he now would be responsible for two, it was his choice. You held your breath.

“More than anything in all of Underverse.” A wave of relief washed over you.

“Riddick, if I do this, I want a promise that you will go retrieve Draven and keep him safe. I also want your word as Lord Marshal that no harm will come to him once we rejoin the armada.” You looked him in the eye.

“Done. Now go kill the bitch so we can leave.” You wrote down his location and handed it to Riddick.

“I have a son.” This time with feeling.


	5. New Dame Vaako

Your plan was quite simple but extremely effective. You would wait in the balcony with Siberius. You had to be the one who made the kill, and it had to be witnessed by a Necromonger to be official. You would shoot her from where you stood and make a run for the stables. Riddick would be waiting with the horses and Draven, all ready to go. From there, you would escape to the city and make your way to the armada. Simple.

You dipped the tip of an arrow in a neurotoxin that had been weaponized. This refined neurotoxin was specifically designed to take effect, if directly introduced in the bloodstream, within minutes. Pair that with a handy arrow and you have a foolproof plan.

You had to arrive before anyone else for Dame Vaako’s meeting with the King in which no other Necromongers or you were allowed to attend. No one would miss you if they didn’t expect you to be there in the first place.

You were sore from kneeling in wait. Siberius sat on the ground, he didn’t have to be ready to strike at a moments notice. You felt conflicted about what you were about to do. You had never met would warrant that you kill her. However, you still found yourself in a her or me position. You would be damned if it was going to be you. Strengthening your resolve, you checked on the scene below you in time to see the King enter followed by Dame Vaako and her assigned guards.

You got into position and you felt Siberius pull in close to watch. You waited for a few moments so that everyone could get settled and feel secure. The conversation started and you disliked her immediately. She could talk circles around anyone and she was so manipulative that it was no wonder she had been deemed a threat to Riddick. You found it hard to believe that Vaako had let her tell him what to do.

While buying your time, you looked over your target. She was wearing a dress that looked like armor; it was very tacky, but it also limited the places you could shoot her. You saw your opening on her neck. You could count on the medics and the surrounding guards to act quickly, but surviving a direct hit to the neck was rare in a normal instance.

You took a breath and slowly raised the bow up, careful not to attract too much unwanted attention. You were just about to let the arrow loose when you heard a voice behind you. It was your Lieutenant. Siberius signaled for him to get down and it didn’t take anything to convince the man that he needed to let this happen. With the issue resolved you steadied your breathing and let the arrow fly.

It hit with a disgusting thunk. Dame Vaako instinctively pulled the arrow out before the guards could stop her and the blood gushed and pulsed out. While medics applied pressure the guards pulled the king out of the room to safety. Dame Vaako started convulsing while the toxins took effect. She died shortly later, confirmed by the medic that had been tending to her.

The three of you hauled ass out of the room while more members of the guards filed in and started locking everything down. Your lungs were burning by the time you reached the stables. Riddick was more than a little irritated that it had taken you so long, but you just shrugged and grabbed your horse. Siberius halted, seeing his son standing before him for the first time. It was impossible to deny that he was, in fact, the father. After a pause, he followed suit and Riddick was mounting his own horse. You looked at your Lieutenant and only friend over the last several years.

“You need to go and make yourself scarce. They are going to need a good leader when this is all over.” You reached down and shook his hand. You gave him a salute and you were on your way.

With a little help, Draven settled behind you on the horse. He was a little taller than you already, but you covered him for the most part, becoming a human shield.

It was smooth sailing until you arrived at the palace gates. All of your Calvary and half of the infantry awaited you.

“Natalia Valora, Siberius Vaako, and Richard Riddick. You are hereby charged with treason and sentenced to death.” Siberius crossed in front of you.

“There is one little problem with that. She is Dame Vaako and therefore protected by law.” As if expecting this argument, the King himself rode up and stopped at Siberius’ side. 

“I changed the law. I didn’t like it much anyway.” He looked so proud of himself.

“Then why is she accused of treason?” Siberius sat up straight.

“I just changed my mind so that they could dispose of Valora.” He was so smug. “And the boy.”

“Vaako.” Siberius was livid and gritting his teeth was the only thing keeping the king alive.

“Not for long.” His matter of fact tone set Siberius over the edge.

Before anyone could stop him, Siberius pulled his sword, though you never saw him grab it, and you didn’t see what happened after that. You heard it though. The King’s head stopped rolling at your horse’s foot; smug look still intact. Draven squeezed you a little tighter, clearly nervous about what was to unfold from here.

“I am rightful King now. Step aside!” These men weren’t in the mood to listen to the orders of a blood-traitor-King-killing Prince. And they proved it by closing any gaps in their formation. They had learned their last lesson a little too well.

It was about to get hairy. You pulled Siberius back yet again. You turned to Riddick and told him to go to the zoo. Before you could finish the sentence, you saw your prize running at you and your Lieutenant signaling from the roof. You gave him a salute, slightly relieved he hadn’t heeded your warning.

“Gentlemen, it brings me great pride and greater pleasure to introduce you to the creatures of Crematoria.” You put your hand up to Siberius to stay where he was and stay still. Riddick already knew what was happening. Siberius stiffened up like he too had interacted with the creatures and not in a good way.

The men scattered and the creatures gave chase. Some men fell off their horses, unable to counter their mount’s fear. Human and horse screams, alike, filled the air. The creatures killed them indiscriminately. You hadn’t wanted to kill the horses; many of them had been bred from either your horse or Siberius’ and it made you ill to see your hard work being slaughtered by your orders. Draven buried his face in your hair, not wanting to see what was happening, but unfortunately having to hear it.

With a heavy heart, you took the opportunity to escape through the gates. You looked over your shoulder one last time and you swore you saw the Queen waving from the middle of the carnage. You were getting everything she had ever wanted for you.

Once you were in the city, you scattered the horses and stripped out of your armor. You had gotten ahold of peasant clothing to make your escape. You knew the new city plan better than anyone else in the city. It had been your job to know every fortification and weak spot and you were set on exploiting the latter. No one gave you a second glance as you zig-zagged through the streets. You made it to Vakko’s Frigate. It was small enough that it didn’t attract too much attention.

You were home free. You were well on your way before they figured out where you had gone. You, Natalia Vaako, with your son in hand, watched the only world you had ever known fade off into the distance; swallowed up in the darkness of space.


End file.
